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At Lancing College we are very lucky to have experienced staff sharing their knowledge when it comes to strength and conditioning. Martin Footman, our Lead Strength and Conditioning Coach, has been the main drive behind our new Long Term Athletic Development Programme, supported by our new graduate assistant Grace Shreshta. Grace is currently studying Sport Science at Loughborough University, plays rugby to a high level and is also hugely passionate about strength and conditioning. Last term our elite athletes who play in our major sports were introduced to the Programme. The aim is to support them throughout the year from a physical point of view, in order to assist in their development in preparation for their season of sport but, more importantly, beyond school life for their club, county, country or university.
This term the LTAD Programme has started well, with all 1st team players being assessed initially through a Functional Movement Screening. During the assessment our pupils took part in seven exercises which are graded upon a criteria, resulting in a total score which determines how good their functional movement is. This type of test has been used nationally across elite sporting organisations and is now starting to be used in independent schools to support their elite performers. When the pupils were graded, they were allocated a Bronze, Silver or Gold group based upon their score. This allowed our Strength and Conditioning coaches to develop their whole body functionality, flexibility and strength through a variety of exercises using bodyweight or a different level of weight depending on their ability over the course of this term. We have already had lots of success stories identifying students who are showing plenty of potential in the gym during their ‘pre-season’ phase.
As we move into the next half of term, we will begin to be more specific with the training programme, testing all of the athletes on their return for power initially, which will be followed by a challenging plyometric training programme every Monday. Power is certainly an important aspect we want to improve on for all our athletes, as it has a huge impact on sprint speed – useful across all our major sports of netball, hockey, tennis, football and cricket.
Alastair Carter, Head of Hockey